By Jack McMurdo, ETB’s Engineering Manager
I joined ETB’s engineering team when I left school more than 12 years ago and I haven’t looked back. When I joined the team, I was engineer number two; we are now a team of 12 people so things have grown considerably!
On a day-to-day basis, I’ll make sure that everything runs smoothly – while also ensuring that we are working safely and efficiently as well as meeting customer demand and needs in full.
What does the engineering team do?
Our role is to test and update all the enterprise IT equipment that passes through the ETB warehouse. From installing the latest firmware to cleaning and repairing the equipment that we receive (each engineer can test up to 25 servers a day), the team is responsible for ensuring that we deliver high-quality equipment that is fit for our customers.
When we receive a product, we will check and test it by running one full test cycle. Then before we ship the product, we will complete the full testing process again before ensuring that its performance matches the specs that we promote on our website. This reassures our customers that the products they receive are of the highest quality.
What sets ETB’s engineering team apart from other similar teams?
The team is focused on attention to detail, continuous improvement and innovation.
My experience working in ETB’s engineering team has allowed me to understand how we work and how to best use the space we have. Even making some adjustments to how the workshop is arranged has meant we’ve been able to increase the team’s productivity.
We also try to put ourselves in the shoes of our customers and consider how satisfied we’d be receiving the product we’re working on. It must be working because many of our customers return time and time again.
Keeping ahead of the curve
Given the technical nature of our work, many of the team may not come into the business with any formal qualifications for entry-level positions but ETB champions professional development and will support anyone looking to boost their technical skills.
During my time with the company, I’ve not only completed an HNC but have gone on to achieve an honours degree in computing and IT. Some of the wider team have also completed their CompTIA certifications. All of this is with the support of the ETB leadership team who provide study time for those looking to develop their careers.
These continuous opportunities to improve have meant that I’ve never felt that I‘ve stagnated in my career; it has kept things fresh and guaranteed that our customers can feel reassured that the teams building their servers have the very latest knowledge.
What is the ETB difference for me? It’s the way that new thinking and professional development are encouraged throughout the business and it’s the way we ensure we are continually focused on constantly delivering value and high-quality technology for our customers.
